Traditional vs. Contemporary Design Styles

Hey Denver!

Are you having trouble deciding on how to design your home? If you’re anything like me, you do. It’s challenging to use all your different ideas to form a coherent look and feeling throughout your home. The first step to creating this coherent look is to research the different styles. With the help of Expressive Creations, Classy Closets can help you to understand the design elements of both the traditional and contemporary styles.

Traditional

The traditional design aesthetic refers back to the baroque period of design. With a color palette ranging from pastels to bold, regal colors, it usually presents a luxurious and rich feeling to a room. Fabrics like curtains and drapes are structured and multi-layered and furniture has warm wood colors and encompasses the Queen Anne style with its soft curve lines. Wallpaper is used generously and crown moulding highlights the walls. Artwork and frames with distinct metallic tones are essential to this design style. Baroque style frames, landscape paintings, and floral arrangements are also key to this aesthetic.

Contemporary

Where the traditional style calls back to the baroque period, the contemporary style uses a much more modern minimalist approach to design. Cluttered design is nowhere to be seen, which permits a clean, open feeling. Clean lines and geometric shapes are critical to a contemporary design. A neutral color palette (usually white, black, or beige) is used on walls, window treatments, upholstered furniture, and floors, while pops of color are introduced through accessories (such as pillows). Interesting and unique design elements are used much more in contemporary designs than in traditional ones. Metal and glass are included in tables and lighting is sleek and metal toned, although natural light is preferred.

Call us at 303-804-5938 for more information on how we can help the Denver and Boulder areas.